As the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation plan to celebrate the grand opening of their new headquarters next week, the organizations are thanking the community, members and supporters for bringing the project to life after a devastating fire.

The chamber had operated at the corner of Fifth and Franklin Streets for 50 years until the December 2022 fire destroyed the neighboring building, and the adjoining offices suffered severe smoke and water damage.

For 19 months, the groups were without a permanent home.

Cindy Frey, president of the chamber explains

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The organizations initially operated off site before moving to temporary offices in space provided by Cummins. In December of last year, the city of Columbus through the redevelopment commission provided the groups with a $400 thousand dollar grant to help purchase and rehabilitate the new location at the corner of Franklin and Third Streets, next door to the Crump Theater and across the street from the Bartholomew County Governmental Office Building.

According to plans outlined with the city, the move had a total price tag of about $1.4 million dollars. That included $555 thousand to purchase the building, more than $600 thousand in renovations and improvements and nearly $175 thousand in other expenses including furniture.

Frey, president of the chamber, said there is still some work to be done, with the hope for future improvements if funding is available.

Frey said that the Chamber has been working with the LAA Office designers to come up with a landmark look for downtown Columbus.

The two groups are planning the grand opening and ribbon cutting for 4 p.m. on October 30th at the new building at 230 and 250 Franklin Street. You can get more information and RSVP at https://business.columbusareachamber.com/events/details/columbus-area-chamber-of-commerce-greater-columbus-economic-development-corp-ribbon-cutting-celebration-5667

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The city of Seymour has closed two park restrooms after severe vandalism. According to information from the parks department, the vandalism happened in the restrooms at Westside and Kessler parks, leading to them being locked up.

Photos on social media show the restrooms trashed with graffiti, overflowing toilets stuffed with paper towels, toilet paper and debris and soaking wet material covering the floors.

The parks department urges you to call the Seymour Police Department if you see anyone damaging parks restrooms or other property. You can reach the police non emergency number at 812-522-1234.

Ohio-based retailer Big Lots will be closing three more stores in Indiana, including one in Franklin.

The other latest Indiana stores that will close are in New Haven, and New Albany. Five other Big Lots stores have already closed in Indiana and 11 more are in the process of closing, but none locally.

The company is closing vearly 500 stores across the country after the retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this year. The discount retailer is in financial trouble and reported a massive loss in net sales in the first quarter of this year. Its debt soared to roughly 574-million dollars this year as sales dropped by 114-million dollars.

Story courtesy of TTWN Media Networks

Local patriotic and historical service organizations will be dedicating the Hawpatch-Liberty Cemetery north of the Columbus Municipal Airport with a ceremony on Saturday Oct. 26th.

According to organizers with the Daughters of the American Revolution, the 200-year-old cemetery contains the remains of two soldiers from the Revolutionary War, four from the War of 1812, two from the Mexican War and 20 Civil War veterans. The cemetery had fallen into disrepair through vandalism, weather and just age. The Joseph Hart Chapter of the DAR began work on the cemetery as part of its 100th anniversary project and has been working with other groups to restore the cemetery including the Clifty Creek Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the U.S. Daughters of 1812 and the Indiana General Society of 1812.

So far, more than 37 gravestones have been professionally cleaned and volunteers cleaned another 20. GPS mapping has been done on about a third of the graves there.

The ceremony will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 26th at the cemetery, which is at Bartholomew County Roads 500N and 100E. It can be reached from U.S. 31 or from Marr Road via County Road 550N. Parking and traffic control will be available at the site during the ceremony.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Indiana has appointed an election officer to look for violations of federal election laws in the upcoming election.

According to the office of U.S. Attorney Zachary Myers, Tiffany J. Preston, an assistant U.S. attorney, will lead the district’s efforts to ensure election security. Preston will be responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud.

The appointment is part of the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5th general election.

According to the office, federal law protects against threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.

Myers said, “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

Preston will be on duty while the polls are open. She can be reached at 317-226-6333.

The FBI will also have special agents available in each field office to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.

The Crump Theatre in downtown Columbus is looking for volunteers to help with upcoming events and with ongoing renovations at the 135 year old theater.

According to organizers, volunteers are needed for the theater’s event crew. If you help with events, you can get a free T-shirt, meet the stars of upcoming shows before and after their event, see the shows for free and take part in all you can eat popcorn.

Upcoming shows include the Graveyard Stompers from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 26th and a musical mystery mandolin performance at 3 p.m. on Sunday October 27th.

The theater also needs help raising money for ongoing repairs and upgrades and volunteers to help with the work. That could include helping with cleaning, organizing, painting, electrical systems or plumbing.

You can find more information at The Crump Theatre social media, or by contacting the project manager Jess Schnepp at 812-350-6447.

You can buy tickets to the Graveyard Stompers event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-graveyard-stompers-return-tickets-1034072076417

You can buy tickets to the Musical Mystery Mandolin event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-musical-mystery-w-columbus-louisville-mandolin-orchestras-tickets-1026794027577

The Indiana Historical Society is highlighting the town of Hope and its long-lasting rural mail delivery service.

The society pointed out on its social media that the town is celebrating 128 years of rural mail delivery. In 1896, Hope was one of two locations in the country to test the then-new idea of using mail routes to provide mail to rural homes, rather than just allowing mail to be picked up in town at the post office. The Hope experiment started on Oct. 15th and is the longest continuing location for rural mail delivery in the country.

The town used to have a small rural mail museum in the town square park that was not climate controlled. It was torn down in 2014 and the town’s rural mail artifacts are now housed in a museum space operated by the Yellow Trail Museum on the northwest corner of the square.

You can find more information at: theyellowtrailmuseum.org

Photo courtesy of Yellow Trail Museum

Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus will be collecting canned goods for its student food pantry next week with a Halloween themed event.

All of the collected items will be distributed to students in need in the local service area, including Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, and Shelby counties.

The school is looking for donations of canned vegetables, fruits, meats and sauces, along with pasta and can openers.

The canned food drive will be from 10 to 3 on Wednesday at Moravec Hall on Central Avenue in Columbus. There will be a drive-through donation line set up to help you drop off your items.

The food drive is sponsored by Ivy Tech’s Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society.

You can watch North Vernon police officers and firefighters square off in a dodgeball competition Saturday to help raise money to provide Christmas presents to children in need.

The two departments will be taking part in the Dodge 4 Tots event starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the St. Mary’s gym.

You are urged to come out and enjoy the competition and bring money to donate to help the Jennings County Toys for Tots program.

Local agencies will benefit from grants from the Duke Energy Foundation.

According to the power company, more than $215,000 in grants were announced for local first responders across Indiana.

In our area, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office will receive $3,000 to purchase indoor drones. Those will  let deputies better view a scene while ensuring their safety outside. The Brown County Emergency Management Agency is receiving $3,500 to purchase equipment to support emergency operations, including upgrades to support trailers.

The Duke Energy Foundation says that the grants will help local public safety agencies increase their response capabilities during severe weather and other emergencies.